Love at First Fight
by Akely
Summary: I wish I could be honest— I wish I could reach to her— I wish I could stay with her— Loving someone is never simple, and even more when you are a girl. Girls' Love featuring Souko x Kagura x Nobume in the 3Z AU.


**Love at first figh** t

 _I'm not scared of friend-zone, it's the Kyuubei zone!_

* * *

 _I am in love with my best friend._

Simple. Classic, even.

If only she hadn't been born a girl, everything would be much easier.

One of the many things Gintama High students would agree on included Sakamoto's boring math lessons. Not only was a hard topic but the teacher managed to slip a joke or two in-between theorems, bad enough for every student to instantly lose interest in the present topic.

Souko's brows were scrunching so hard together that she would probably grow wrinkles afterward but at the moment it didn't matter, what mattered was for the lesson to end soon. If the school could be drawn through a chart of pain then Sakamoto's lessons would be at the cactus-in-the-ass-with-lemon-juice-and-salt pain level. And that would be understating it.

She glanced two tables ahead, at Kagura, who was deeply interested in building a castle with empty boxes of *sukonbu* with her math textbook shadowing over her creation. She had always been an easily distracted kid and their teacher wasn't helping, not like she was any better during any other subjects besides PE. Kagura only shined in the good way in PE, red tracksuit and all.

"Everybody took note of the lesson right?"

"Yes!"

"Class is finished for today! Hahahahaha!"

Kagura almost jumped off her seat, startled by the sudden ringing that announced the break.

"Last week's castle was better," Souko strolled to her with a *bento* box in hand. Despite loving the cherry blossom tree or the roof better Souko took a habit of eating in the classroom since Kagura wouldn't stand the Sun too much. Her skin was sensible.

"It's because today Mutsu was kicking him at first, it was funny uh-uh." This wasn't totally unusually. Gintama High was the kind of school where not only the students were retarded, but teachers too (if not more) and Sakamoto was a prime example of it.

"If you eat so much in class you're going to be fat."

"I never gain weight!"

"Well, you never gain in boobs too." Souko's lips drew a discreet curved around the corner while her hands traveled to her chest area. "Unlike me."

"GAH!" Kagura shouted, "it's because you're older than me!"

"By some months, don't try to find any excuse China. It's fine though, since you are only interested in food."

"But all men are trash, that's what Gin-chan taught me. He said I can't even use them like you do."

"You couldn't even seduce a fish you know?"

Kagura pouted and decided to eat her own share of food— something a pregnant woman wouldn't be able to finish, or any normally constituted human for that matter. "I don't see why you're playing with them, people always say bad things about you. They don't even know you, Sou-chan."

"BDSM is not an art easily understandable."

"No, I meant you using those poor, lost souls."

"Parents should teach them not to be so superficial, not like they'd ever get to touch me." Souko sighed and brushed Kagura's red locks.

Empty.

She felt empty and making some lost students suffer wasn't nearly enough to comfort her one-sided love. Good thing was, Kagura never had a crush and that was the only thing Okita would ask for— even if it was selfish as her best-friend, the one Kagura trusted the most—

Feelings couldn't be stopped. Dark feelings would stain the heart and spread to every part of her, leading to unwanted anger and frustration. She was a coward. Fortunately Kagura broke into her thoughts with her hamster face:

"Today," Kagura said with rice stuck to the area of her mouth and cheeks, "you're going to stay at my home, right?"

Souko hummed before leaning towards her and removing the rice out of her face. Staying as a friend would be enough, as long as nobody steal Kagura away, as long as they stay together— it should be fine. Even just as a friend.

It didn't matter if it hurt—

Because the rejection of the only person that still mattered to her on this planet would erase any meaning to her life.

The first time they met, Souko hated Kagura. She was noisy and stupid, bellowing to the wind and laughing in the most obnoxious way— and worst, Mitsuba absolutely loved her. Her dear older sister liked kids, despite not being able to have one due to her frail body, and was only given the calm Souko. Kagura's bubbling personality, on the other hand, totally caught her in.

For that reason, Okita Souko decided Kagura would be her rival for the affection of Mitsuba. She hated her more than Hijikata— the husband of Mitsuba, because hell, the warm arms of Mitsuba belonged to her only. Not some snotty kid.

So, eventually came the day where her patience had worn out and Souko decided to do what boys of her age would: she bullied her. Trying to make her slip like an idiot, pushing her in the hallways and trying to pull her skirt— nothing worked. Kagura had fast reflex, and always brushed Souko's pranks off with a smile. She was always kind to girls, Souko knew because she had seen Kagura beating a boy with a bicycle for bothering another girl. But no matter how she bothered and tried to annoy Kagura she never tried to take revenge on her.

With time, Souko found herself hating the girl more and more, but for another reason. Kagura was too perfect and sunny to be hated, because truly said the red-haired kid didn't hurt anyone. She may be less polite than other children of their age but was kind to everyone. Even to Souko.

When Mitsuba died, Souko cried. A lot, until tears wouldn't come out of her dry eyes, nobody could put an end to her pain— not even Kondo and Hijikata, who became her substitute family. Not her friends at school or the teachers. They told her things like how Mitsuba wouldn't want to see her cry so much. How she was now in heaven, happier with the stars and watching her from afar.

But Kagura did neither of that, it was snowing and she just eased her way to Souko, wrapped a scarf around her because she didn't have any— and didn't say anything. She kept one hand on Souko's back, gently patting it as if she could understand her feelings.

She stayed until Souko decided to get up and accept that the only one remaining of her family had left her for good. It was only much later that Hijikata explained Kagura lost most of her family too— her mother died of sickness and the rest went MIA, leading her to become the adopted daughter of Sakata Gintoki. Despite her constant smiling, she too had scars.

Ever since then, the two girls had grown closer until they became a set, inseparable from each other.

* * *

They were at Kagura's home, well, the house of her foster parent Sakata Gintoki. The man had a Café just beside their school, with just enough business to live plainly but not poorly.

Kagura's room, for example, was simple but warm with beige walls, colorful cushions and lot of plushies. They were currently sat on the bed with their Bentendo DS, focused on a M*rio Kart race.

"Hehehehe."

"Don't laugh so creepily Souko-chan, I'm first you know. You're two justaways behind me."

"Since when is a justaway a unite?" Souko raised a brow and scoffed at her friend's quirk, "I have something to destroy you."

"What, bananas from your father Gorilla?" Kagura joked, wondering how a girl as refined as Souko could live with a Mayo addict as brother and a stalker-gorilla as father. Worst was that both of them were policemen, of all things.

"No, the Pandora Box, the ultimate weapon—"

"You don't mean _that_?"

"Yes, I do."

Kagura's character, Poshi, was about to reach the final line before the chaos 8-bit sound started to ring like bells of destruction.

A blue shell was flying towards her. Kagura tried hard to speed off, but she had no mushrooms and blue shells couldn't be deviated; she was doomed. No, Poshi was doomed for a horrible death in a blue explosion of doom, death and misery.

"GAHHH! POSHIIII!"

"I won again," Souko cackled before pulling the pink cover on both of them, noticing the hour. She gently removed the console from Kagura's hand and said, "It's late, we should go to sleep."

"Already?" Kagura pouted. She hoped to spend more on gaming and less on sleeping, even if she knew she'd regret it the second she'll hear her alarm ringing, not unsimilarly to the blue shell destroying Poshi. With some luck she wouldn't break the nth alarm Gintoki bought her.

"Kids like you need ten hours of sleep to be healthy and I need my beauty sleep. "

"Uh-uh."

"Good night."

"Good night."

Souko turned her back to her. It would be so easy to reach out to her right now, with the two of them so close— just a lean, the feel of lips and skin. To whisper sweet words like candy, be honest for once with herself.

 _I am in love with my best friend.  
And it's complicated. _


End file.
